The proposed introduction of Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt)
Brinjal, a genetically modified version of brinjal, in India has become
a topic of debate among scientists and politicians as well. Never since the
beginning of the Green Revolution in the 1970s, has a food crop evoked the
curiosity of the agriculture community as much as the nation's first
genetically modified food crop. In October 2009,
the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), which was set up to
study the viability of Genetically Modified (GM) food crops, gave Bt Brinjal the
go ahead. However, the regulatory clearance was followed by a public
outrage from activists, farmers, scientists, etc.
Interestingly, India is the world's largest producer of brinjal only
after China, accounting for nearly 26% of the global production. India grows
over 2,000 varieties of brinjal, over 500,000 hectares of land for almost 4,000
years. The fact that the three states which grow more than 60% of brinjal in
India—West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar —are not open to the idea of
introducing India's first GM food crop added traction to the uproar. The issue
acquired greater prominence as many other state governments also opposed the idea
of introduction of Bt brinjal, in various forms and degrees. And those states
include Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh. While some of them demanded a moratorium till further
tests are done for the bio-safety of Bt brinjal, others opposed the very concept of
letting toxic genes introduced into food crops.
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